ChatwootLiveChatChatwoot vs LiveChat

Chatwoot vs LiveChat: five seats for $95 or $245

An open-source customer support platform against a live chat software: Chatwoot is $150 a month cheaper for five people. Where Chatwoot and LiveChat split, and a third option for small teams.

By Khalid Nouri, founder of SellioPricing check dates are listed with each vendor below

Try the third optionSellio pricing

No credit card. Live in minutes.

The short answer

Pick Chatwoot if you want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it. Pick LiveChat if website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available. For five people, Chatwoot is $150 a month cheaper than LiveChat ($95 a month on Chatwoot against $245 on LiveChat), before AI. Sellio Mini, at $45, comes in $50 below Chatwoot. Chatwoot and LiveChat both include website chat in the price; only Chatwoot has email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram. Between them Chatwoot and LiveChat cover every channel Sellio ships. For a team of two to ten weighing Chatwoot against LiveChat, the third option below puts chat and tickets at one workspace price.

At a glanceChatwootChatwootLiveChatLiveChat
Built aroundOne inbox, self-hostable · open sourceThe chat console · help desk and chatbot sold separately
Entry plan$19/agent/mo · Startups, yearly$19/agent/mo · Starter: 60-day history
Chat in the price$0 · Hacker: 2 agents, website only$49/agent/mo · Team
AI agent$20 per 1,000 credits · Captain, after the plan's allowanceChatBot from $52/mo · a separate product
Copilot for agentsIn Captain · creditsIncluded · Text Intelligence
Free planYes · 2 agents, 500 conversationsNone · 14-day trial

The six differences that decide it

Everything else on this page follows from these.

  1. 01

    Where a conversation starts

    ChatwootChatwoot

    As a conversation in one inbox, whatever the channel, with labels and assignment rather than a ticket. LiveChat has no ticket queue either.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    As a chat in the agent console, with the visitor's page and typing shown live; tickets go to the separate HelpDesk product. Chatwoot has no ticket queue either.

  2. 02

    What the seat buys

    ChatwootChatwoot

    $19 buys every channel on Startups; the Hacker plan is free for two agents on website chat only. $95 for five people, against $245 on LiveChat.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    $19 buys the console with 60 days of history. Team at $49 keeps the history and adds reports. $245 for five people, against $95 on Chatwoot.

  3. 03

    How the AI is billed

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Captain, the AI agent, runs on credits: 300 a month on Startups, 500 on Business, then $20 per 1,000. LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats as well.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Text Intelligence assists are included; an AI answering customers means the separate ChatBot product from $52 a month. Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats as well.

  4. 04

    Channels in the price

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Website, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, SMS, Messenger, TikTok and Line on the paid plans. email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram are here and not on LiveChat.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    Website chat, Messenger, Apple Messages, WhatsApp and email in the console; SMS via integration. Chatwoot adds email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, which LiveChat lacks.

  5. 05

    Beyond the inbox

    ChatwootChatwoot

    Self-hosting on your own servers, an open API and a help center; no campaigns or contact center. LiveChat is a live chat software instead.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    A large marketplace, and sibling products for chatbot, help desk and knowledge base at their own prices. Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform instead.

  6. 06

    Time to the first reply

    ChatwootChatwoot

    An afternoon on the cloud; a day or two self-hosted. LiveChat is an hour.

    LiveChatLiveChat

    An hour: paste the snippet, invite agents, answer. Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud.

Sources: Chatwoot pricing · LiveChat pricing. Each vendor’s own comparison of the other is linked so you can weigh both sides against ours.

What each one looks like

A look at the agent workspace. Interfaces can vary by plan and product version.

The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel
ChatwootChatwoot. The Chatwoot inbox: the conversation list with channel icons and the contact panel
The LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details
LiveChatLiveChat. The LiveChat agent console: the chat list, the conversation and the visitor details

What your team would pay

Move the sliders. Yearly-billing rates from each vendor’s pricing page, next to Sellio’s plan for the same number of seats.

5 people who answer customers

50

300 Captain credits on Chatwoot, AI conversations on LiveChat

3000+
ChatwootChatwoot

$95/mo

All channels, 300 Captain credits a month.

5 × $19 seats
$95
0 Captain credits × $0.02
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. $20 per 1,000 Captain credits beyond the plan's allowance; a reply uses at least one credit. Rates recorded on 2026-09-13.

LiveChatLiveChat

$245/mo

Full history, reports, agent groups.

5 × $49 seats
$245
300 AI conversations × $0
$0

Yearly billing; monthly costs more. LiveChat sells its chatbot as a separate ChatBot subscription from $52 a month, not per conversation; add that flat fee. Rates recorded on 2026-09-06.

Sellio · Mini

$55/mo

One price for the workspace: 3 channels, 2 AI agents, $5 AI credit a month.

Workspace, 5 of 5 seats
$45
AI past 100 included conversations
$10
Copilot for agents
Included

About $0.05 per AI conversation past the credit, with a daily and monthly cap you set. Yearly billing takes 20% off. See every plan.

Pricing references: Chatwoot pricing page (recorded 2026-09-13); LiveChat pricing page (recorded 2026-09-06). Calculator uses yearly-billing rates. Prices change; confirm current terms with each vendor.

5 people, website chat plus 2 more channels, 2 AI agents: $45 a month. Start free, no card.

Start freeSee every plan

Chatwoot, LiveChat and Sellio, side by side

Fifteen things a support team checks. A dash means the product does part of it or charges extra for it.

FeatureChatwootChatwootLiveChatLiveChatSellio

Pricing

Pricing model
Per agent; AI by credits
Per agent; ChatBot is a separate product.
Per workspace; seats and channels are plan limits
Free plan
2 agents, 500 conversations, website chat
14-day trial.
2 seats, 1 channel, 1 AI agent, no trial clock

Channels

Website live chat
All plans
The core product.
One script tag; guides for HTML, React, Next.js and more
Email in the inbox
Startups and up
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: forward your support address; reply from the thread
WhatsApp
Startups and up
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: WhatsApp Business API, several agents on one number
Instagram DMs
Startups and up
Via marketplace integration.
From Mini: Instagram DMs beside web chat
Telegram
Startups and up
Not listed.
From Mini: paste a bot token; the webhook is set for you
Slack, Discord, Teams (two-way)
Slack integration
Slack integration.
From Mini: two-way threads; a reply there reaches the customer

AI

AI agent trained on your docs
Captain, on credits
ChatBot, a separate subscription.
Crawl your site, upload PDFs and FAQs; answers only from those
How AI is billed
Credits by plan, then $20 per 1,000
From $52/mo for ChatBot; copilot included.
Metered from an included credit, with caps you set
AI hands off to a person
Hands to an agent
ChatBot transfers to agents.
On low confidence, a keyword, or a teammate taking over

Support operations

Tickets
Conversations with statuses
HelpDesk is a separate product.
On Plus: raise from any chat; customer, back-office and tracker
Visual workflow automation
Automation rules
Routing rules; flows live in ChatBot.
From Mini: 11 triggers, 18 actions, no code
Analytics and CSAT
Reports and CSAT
Reports and ratings.
From Essentials: response times, resolution, CSAT; topics and email reports on Plus

Apps

Desktop app (Windows, macOS)
Browser and mobile
Mac and Windows apps.
Native Windows and macOS apps

Which one, for whom

Pick Chatwoot if

  • You want to self-host and own the data, and have someone to run it.
  • Telegram and WhatsApp must be native, at a per-agent price.
  • Five people cost $150 a month less than on LiveChat ($95 against $245), before AI.
  • You need email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram in the price, which LiveChat does not include outright.

Pick LiveChat if

  • Website chat is the channel and you want the most refined console and widget available.
  • You need Apple Messages for Business.
  • You want native desktop apps, which Chatwoot does not ship.
  • Time to the first reply is an hour here and an afternoon on the cloud on Chatwoot.

The third option: Sellio

  • Your team is two to ten people on chat, messaging and email. Weigh workspace pricing against $95 a month on Chatwoot against $245 on LiveChat for five people; the billing units and included features differ.
  • You want a ceiling on AI spend: Chatwoot meters AI ($20 per 1,000 credits) above the seats, LiveChat meters AI (ChatBot from $52/mo) above the seats, and Sellio stops at the cap you set.
  • You need tickets raised from a chat, which neither Chatwoot nor LiveChat includes.

What two, five and ten people pay

Chatwoot on Startups: $38, $95 and $190 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. LiveChat on Team: $98, $245 and $490 a month for two, five and ten people, before AI. Sellio: Free for two seats; Mini at $45 for five, $50 less than Chatwoot and $200 less than LiveChat for five people; Essentials at $95 for ten, the AI credit included. At ten people, Essentials at $95 is $95 under Chatwoot and $395 under LiveChat.

Where the two agree, and where they split

Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable; LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console. Only Chatwoot has a free plan (2 agents, 500 conversations); LiveChat offers 14 days, no card. Chatwoot and LiveChat both include website chat in the price; only Chatwoot has email, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram. Between them Chatwoot and LiveChat cover every channel Sellio ships. Chatwoot ($20 per 1,000 credits) and LiveChat (ChatBot from $52/mo) both meter AI above the seats. Neither Chatwoot nor LiveChat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps. Chatwoot is an afternoon on the cloud; LiveChat is an hour.

What each price leaves out

Chatwoot: Captain AI credits included by plan (300, 500, 800), then $20 per 1,000 credits. LiveChat: Text Intelligence (copilot, suggestions, summaries) included. The ChatBot product is separate, from $52 a month yearly. Beside Chatwoot's $20 per 1,000 credits and LiveChat's ChatBot from $52/mo, Sellio includes an AI credit with each paid plan. Usage consumes that credit; additional credits cost extra, and you can set a spending cap.

How to decide in an afternoon

  1. Step 1

    Count agents and channels

    Anyone who replies is a seat. List the channels customers actually use.

    5 people reply5 seats
    Website chat61%
    WhatsApp27%
    Email12%
  2. Step 2

    Price the AI you would use

    Estimate monthly conversations the AI could close, then apply each vendor's per-resolution or per-session rate.

    1,200 conversations × 40% AI closes480
    ChatwootChatwoot$0.02$4
    LiveChatLiveChatAssumed $0$0
    Sellio$0.05$19

    Illustrative AI-only estimate; vendor units differ. Pack billing is rounded up. Sellio assumes Mini’s $5 credit and $0.05 per conversation.

  3. Step 3

    Trial the shortlist

    Check each vendor’s trial, free plan or demo terms. Where access is available, test one real channel before committing.

    ChatwootChatwoot · 15-day trial
    LiveChatLiveChat · 14 days, no card
    Sellio · Free plan, no card

    Confirm trial access and limits, then evaluate one real channel on each.

Continue your research

FAQ

Chatwoot vs LiveChat: the questions people ask

Chatwoot is an open-source customer support platform built around one inbox, self-hostable; LiveChat is a live chat software built around the chat console. Neither Chatwoot nor LiveChat has a ticket queue, and only LiveChat ships desktop apps.

  • Entry plan: Chatwoot $19/agent/mo (Startups, yearly); LiveChat $19/agent/mo (Starter: 60-day history).
  • Chat in the price: Chatwoot $0 (Hacker: 2 agents, website only); LiveChat $49/agent/mo (Team).
  • Sellio: one inbox for every channel: all five channels on every paid plan, where Chatwoot and LiveChat each include only some.

The shared inbox page puts Sellio beside Chatwoot and LiveChat on the same rows.

Still have a question? Contact us or browse the docs.

Or the third option: one price, every channel.

Sellio puts website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and email in one inbox with tickets and an AI agent, for $45 to $295 a month per workspace.

Get startedRead the docs

No credit card required